The pope (84) can not stand during the Friday hearing because he is still struggling with ‘troublesome’ sciatica
- The pope spoke on Friday during the opening of the Judiciary’s judicial year
- He kept sitting and saying that his sciatica was a ‘troublesome gas’
- The pope has been forced to cancel a number of recent events due to health
Pope Francis apologized for sitting in an audience on Friday for blaming the ‘troublesome’ sciatica that caused him to cancel a number of occasions.
“I would like to stand up with you, but sciatica is a troublesome guest,” the 84-year-old told members of the Roman Rota, a leading tribunal in the Catholic Church.
“I apologize and will sit down while I sit down,” he added during the meeting marking the opening of the Holy See’s judicial year.
Pope Francis apologizes for sitting in front of an audience on Friday blaming his “troublesome” sciatica
The Argentine pope had to delegate two masses on Sunday and Monday and postpone his New Year’s greeting
The Argentine pope had to delegate two masses on Sunday and Monday and postpone his New Year’s greeting to ambassadors in the Holy See on Monday due to a spirit of sciatica.
He also skipped the New Year’s masses at St. Peter’s Basilica due to the chronic nervous condition that causes pain in his hip, and for which he wears orthopedic shoes.
However, he led the Angelus prayer on Sunday lunch as scheduled.
On his way back from a trip to Brazil in 2013, the pope told reporters about the fact that he had suffered from sciatica in the weeks following his election as head of the Catholic Church earlier that year.
He also skipped New Year’s masses in St. Peter’s Basilica due to the chronic nervous condition
The pope walks with a slight lameness due to sciatica, but has a generally healthy life
‘The worst thing that happened – excuse me – was an attack of sciatica – really! – that I had the first month because I was sitting in an armchair to conduct interviews and it hurt, ‘he said when asked about his time in office so far.
‘Sciatica is very painful, very painful! I wish it on no one! ‘
The pope walks with a slight lameness due to sciatica, but he had a generally healthy life, although part of his lung was removed when he was a young man after having pleurisy.
He received the coronavirus vaccine earlier this month with his predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI, who lives in a converted convent in the Vatican Gardens.